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This Valentine’s Day will you be giving someone special a gift from the heart? Or will you be pleading with your Valentine not to break your heart? Perhaps you’ll be the recipient of a wonderful gift, and respond with heartfelt thanks. Whenever the discussion turns to love, the association with our hearts is not far behind. Popularly characterized as the center of our emotions, the heart is actually an amazing and tireless pump. Hop on board, as we learn more.

How Your Heart Workshttp://www.advocatehealth.com/system/info/library/articles/heartcare/howorks.html “About a hundred times a minute, 100,000 times a day, 36.5 million times a year, your heart keeps the beat . . . the beat of life. That familiar thump, thump, thump tells you that your heart is doing its job pumping blood from the veins to the heart and lungs, where it is replenished with oxygen and then distributed back to the body through the arteries. How does the heart work? Read on.” This single-page illustrated introduction to the heart includes links to advice on how to keep your heart healthy.

InnerBody: Cardiovascular Systemhttp://www.innerbody.com/image/cardov.html As you move your mouse over the cardiovascular system, clickable, labeled hot spots (such as heart or pulmonary artery) will appear. Clicking them will display a short article in the left-hand frame. Related images (a cut-view of the heart or a pacemaker) are listed across the top of the page. There are a couple of cool animations (a pumping heart and a flowing cardiovascular system) buried in the yellow left-hand menu. To wander beyond the cardiovascular system, use the blue vertical menu on the left.

Kidshealth.com: All About the Hearthttp://kidshealth.org/kid/body/heart_noSW.html Perfect for elementary and middle-school students, this article clearly illustrates the heart’s chambers and valves. “We see and hear about hearts everywhere. A long time ago, people even thought that their emotions came from their hearts, maybe because the heart beats faster when a person is scared or excited. Now we know that emotions come from the brain, and that the brain tells the heart what to do. So what’s the heart up to, then? How does it keep busy? What does it look like? Let’s find out.”

People of all ages respond to praise. And children need encouragement from the people whose opinions they value most their families. “Good first draft of your book report!” or “You’ve done a great job” can go a long way toward motivating your child to complete assignments.

Children also need to know when they haven’t done their best work. Make criticism constructive, however. Instead of telling a sixth grader, “You aren’t going to hand in that mess, are you?” say, “The teacher will understand your ideas better if you use your best handwriting.” Then give praise when the child finishes a neat version.